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Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Derick Dillard as Pistol Pete

And here's a picture of Derick Dillard (Jill Duggar's fiance) during his days as Pistol Pete, the Oklahoma State University mascot. Derick followed in the footsteps of his late father, Rick W. Dillard, who also attended OSU and wore the Pistol Pete uniform. (See Monday's post for more details.)

39 comments:

Hi guys! Just wanted to say that I love getting the updates on the Duggars, but the ads on the blog are taking over my computer!! Is there any way to turn them off or something? Also, wanted to ask a quick question: are they doing a special on the wedding, or are we going to have to wait until the next season? Please say they are doing a special!! ;-) Anyway, love the family, completely over the top thrilled for Jill, and hopeful that Jessa gets to have that same special moment with Ben here VERY QUICKLY! Tell Jill and Derick that all their "friends they haven't met yet" wish them all the best!

I have a question. How is it that the Duggars have approved Derick as a suitor for Jill when he has attended secular college, danced, etc., all things that the Duggars have deemed ungodly for them to participate in? They dissuade their own kids from attending school, let alone a real brick and mortar university, working for an outside employer, etc.? How do they justify this? We still would like to hear from Derick or his family about what their lifestyle is like compared to the Duggars beliefs and practices. Thank you.

Being in the world is not ungodly, nor so the Duggars have te view that it is. Being "of" the world is not how Christ would have us live. You can go to a secular school, dance, wear clothing that is not modest, but the question is, is it good? Does it bring honor and glory to God? The Duggars live in the real world, they just choose to stand apart and honor what they believe ho it's God. Derick loves the Lord, and has a missional heart. He. Is a good match for Jill. May the Lord bless and keep them always.

The Duggars do not believe it's ungodly to be "in" the world, but we, as Christ followers are not to be "of" the world. It is unrealistic to think that everyone lives as they do and thus next to impossible to find a mate if they had to live like the Duggars. God doesn't forbid dancing, dressing like a hoochie momma, or going to a secular school, but when we do things as a Christ follower, we should ask ourselves is this good? Is what I'm doing ho Ida me? Does it bring glory to God? The Duggars have a good handle how to prepare their children for the qorld. They are not as sheltered as you think, they are exposed to the world, they just handle it better than most because they have a solid foundation.

Anonymous #4; I agree with you. We want to know what his family's spiritual style is? Do they share the same extreme lifestyle as the Duggars? We know it's Jill's first kiss, but it can't be Derick's. I'm sure he had a regular life experience..at least I hope he did. What's up here folks?

Some comments are too funny. Good for her widening the circle of people they let into their lives. I can't believe they let someone else make their love decisions. My FIL tried that and failed 7 times.

@Anonymous Please don't be so quick to judge Derick. We barely know anything about him. The Duggars obviously think very highly of him, and I can only hope that that is enough information for the rest of us. Thank you.

@Anonymous Also, technically, the Duggars are not against public schooling, nor have they ever said they were against it. They have just expressed that for their large family, and situation, homeschooling works better for them. Also, as for college, several of Michelle's kids have pursued college education, just from home. Again, this is an individual choice, not a conviction, or belief against public education.

Derick comes from a smaller family. Thus his educational background is probably going to be different than that of the Duggars.

You'll also note that Jill, and Jana work for an outside employer. As midwife's in training, they work under a "boss", or an "outside employer". At this point, the girls don't run their own business, they work under someone else. The Duggars are in no means against their kids working for an outside employer.

Please note that I am not meaning to provoke argument, belittle, or bully you. I just can't stand aside and let incorrect facts remain incorrect.

I understand where you're coming from, but I think you're assuming that they're more judgemental than I think they really are. I've been a fan of them for a really long time-- read their books-- watched all the shows-- so while I don't know them personally, I've gleaned a little bit about them I think. This is what I know: they have been really adament over and over again in their books and in interviews on their show that they are NOT judgemental of people who don't have the exact same convictions as they do. Michelle has said repeatedly that they know that their convictions- like the girls wearing skirts for example- is not for everyone. Cousin Amy is a perfect example. They love her and welcome her as a part of the family, and she doesn't have the same convictions as far as dress, music, dancing, watching TV, etc. I think it's really easy to assume that because someone holds really conservative beliefs that they are automatically angry, judgemental, and exclusionary toward people who have less conservative beliefs, and I've not seen any evidence of that in the case of the Duggars. As far as schooling-- from interviews, I've gathered that Jim Bob and Michelle are not against college for their kids, they just encourage their kids to stay at home because of concerns about influences. However, they've said that they want their children to do what they feel called toward. I've never heard them say that they outright don't believe in higher education.

@AnonymousHey there. You've asked some great questions, and I hope my reply would be of help.

The reason Derick is approved by the family is quite simply because he is regarded as a genuine Christian. It is also because the Duggars are *not* the super uptight and legalistic conservative "fundie" family which people like to insist they are.

The Duggars do not actually look at college the way you have described. They have mentioned that they are not against the public school system, and that they will support their children through college if that is where the Lord leads them. Their choice to homeschool is how Jim Bob and Michelle see works best for their family.

Jill and Jessa have done college semesters albeit by correspondence (which I'm ready to bet is due to personal preference to stay with family + work reasons), and let's not forget that Ben is currently attending secular community college. The Duggars also do not dissuade their children from working with an outside employer, as Jill works for A Mummy's Butterfly Midwifery and Josh works for FRC. Jessa and Jinger have also done unpaid work at a coffee shop (Mama Carmen's).

Jim Bob and Michelle are simply Christians who seek to obey God in the way they lead their family, and for them, they have been led to homeschool their kids to the glory of God, as well as dressing modestly, letting God do the family planning, and not dancing. Those things are mostly a Romans 14 issue, meaning they do NOT believe them to be encompassing issues which every Christian must adhere to. In other words, they do not regard dancing or attending secular college as "ungodly" per se, or that doing so automatically means one is heathen or that their salvation is forfeited. The way the Duggar household is run may appear as highly restrictive, but it makes complete sense once you understand it is because JB&M are simply Christ followers with a real and living relationship with God. It all comes down to the disposition of one's heart.

Christians can most certainly attend college to the glory of God, and that is evident in Derick's case. Even if Derick had not been raised in a Christian household or saved at a young age and led the typical college life as a non-Christian, I am positive that as long as he is a genuinely converted Christian today, the Duggars would embrace him the same because he would be completely cleansed and forgiven by Christ. To dismiss someone who has been already been converted on the mere basis of a crazy past would be to dishonour Christ and how He saves and renews people. Don't forget that Michelle also led the "typical high school life" herself, until she was saved at age 15. In fact, every Christian has a wicked past - hence the need for forgiveness in the first place.

For Christians, it is not (and should not be) solely about following certain rules, dressing a certain way or leading a certain type of lifestyle. Homeschooling does not mean you are a Christian, nor does it make anyone a Christian. The essence of the Christian life is Jesus Christ and the Gospel which is the power of God for salvation for all who believe. If the focus of anyone's Christianity is anything other than Christ and the Gospel - even if they're "good Christian things" - then that is legalism and what the Bible calls the doctrine of demons (have a read of 1 Timothy 4:1-5).

My main point is that the Duggars are NOT the legalistic fundie family which many perceive them to be. They are simply a Christian household headed by parents who have a dynamic relationship with the living God, and thus naturally instruct their family to live biblically to the glory of God *as much as* the next college-attending, pants-wearing, dancing Christian household (the Dillards, for example - assuming they can also serve up some sweet dance moves).

Is Derick's family as conservative as the Duggars? Do they believe the same things such as girls wear long skirts, no birth control, let God decide how many children the family will have? What religion is his family the same as the Duggars?

Anonymous 1..The Duggars don't "deem" those things ungodly...secular education, dancing, or working for secular employers, etc.... Those are simply things that they have made decisions about regarding their own family, for their own personal reasons. For a family of their size, certain things just make better sense to do. We only see and hear a fraction of what the older children are doing regarding their higher education and/or career. Believe it or not, there is life beyond TV.

And please...just because a family has more conservative leanings does not mean they sit in judgement of others. This seems to be the popular trend and it is getting old.

I just wanted to say just because there are different life styles doesn't mean one is worst then the other if you are following Christ our family is 1 of 2 in our whole church that wears skirts 100%of the time we even have some that wear pants it really comes down to what God want you to do personally. We wear skirts my kids go to public school and we dance at home not in public just follow what God puts in your heart. I think it would be wrong for me to wear pants but both my best friends wear pants I don't think wearing them is ungodly or a sin for them but for me personally it is because God put it in my heart

Hope no one will take offense to this, but I do not think we are entitled to know every detail about Derick and Jill, their beliefs, how they may be dissimilar or what Derick's prior experiences are. It is rude to be so nosey. Just because they are on tv does not give fans unrestricted access to their personal lives.

Well said #22 and #26. It really isn't our business to know every detail about Derick and his past. Jill and her parents have been very diligent in finding out if Derick is a good life-mate for her. They all feel that he will be. That's all that matters. Those two look and act so in love. And they love Jesus. I think that's all we really need to know!

@AnonymousWhat I like about the Duggars is that they LIVE their view of Christian life as an example, but they DO NOT force others (Cousin Amy) to do as they do. With Derick, it was his Christian QUALITIES that they approved of to allow him to court and propose to Jill.

In our faith, we acknowledge that each person is on a faith journey. We started out with original sin, and God's saving grace through His Son continues to be our opportunity to reunite with the Father.

Not every Christian has such a solid family bond as the Duggars. Even though my family doesn't share certain beliefs or outward signs of those beliefs as the Duggars, I agree at this stage of the game that a strong family is essential in our society.

Homeschooling is a growing trend. There's an estimated 2 million home schooled students in the United States. It's not weird. It's the opposite of antisocial. In fact I look forward to our first year of homeschooling, though we're 1/6 the size of the Duggar family!

@Anonymous The Bible teaches that you are completely dead in sin and an object of God's righteous wrath if you are apart from Christ, so not everyone is on a "faith journey" unless they are already brought into the faith by God's saving grace through Christ. What's needed in reconciliation to God - that is the beginning of union with Him, hence the imperative of knowing the Gospel, as Christ is our only hope for forgiveness, freedom from the bondage of sin, justification before God and, in essence, a living relationship with God.

It's interesting to see that homeschooling is gaining momentum in the US. That's really cool, and hopefully much of it is Gospel-centered, and that families are doing it to honour Christ and not out of mere religiosity.

@Anonymous Just from watching the docs and the show, the Duggar family has appeared to have loosened the reigns a bit. Many families believe one way when their kids are small but as their children become adults parents realize they may have to alter their beliefs if they don't want to loose their kids.

I don't think it's any big secret that Derick and his brother grew up in a Christian home and attended a Southern Baptist church. Derick just completed a two-year "journeyman" mission in Nepal through the Southern Baptist Convention. In addition to earning a Bachelors in Accounting from O-State, and serving as Pistol Pete for two years, he was very active in the Baptist Collegiate Ministry.

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Welcome to the premiere source for factual, encouraging updates on Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar and their 19 kids (TLC's 19 Kids and Counting & Counting On). Our site is not maintained by the Duggars, but we (Lily and Ellie) are personal friends of the family.